ERROR ACTION REQUIRED: SHOPIFY 2024 LICENSING PROBLEM

If you’re having trouble customizing or publishing your theme on Shopify, you’re not alone. As of October 2024, many merchants are reporting the following error when uploading unlicensed themes:

Action Required: Licensing Issue

Customization and publishing are blocked
This theme has been identified as a copy of " THEME NAME " which is only available on the Shopify Theme Store. We could not find a license for this copy. You may not use an unlicensed theme. You may risk legal action from the theme developer. If you purchased this theme and believe you have a license, please provide us with the information to notify us.

This error is directly related to the lack of official licensing for the theme in use. Shopify blocks customizations and publishing of themes that were not purchased directly from its Theme Store, warning of the risk of legal action by the theme developers.

What has been discovered so far?

The block appears to be linked to the Sections files internal to the theme. However, it is not yet possible to identify exactly what metric is used to detect and block unlicensed themes.

This situation is occurring specifically in themes that are uploaded via a compressed file, which suggests that there is an automated check that identifies the origin of the files and, if there is no valid license, prevents the use of the theme.

Solutions to the problem:

We recommend that affected users purchase and license their themes directly from the Shopify Theme Store or request a quote from us to build a theme from scratch . This is the safest way to ensure that you can continue customizing and publishing your changes without any issues.

We are following the case

Our team is monitoring the case, and as soon as there is a relevant update, this post will be reviewed and updated with the latest information. This content was last updated on 10/15/2024 .

Need help with your theme or store?

If you’re having this issue, or would like to develop a custom theme from scratch, modify your current theme, or need any kind of support for your Shopify store, get in touch with us ! We’re here to help.